Rosey the dog resting at home after hit-and-run

Rosemary R. SobolTribune reporter

When a hit-and-run driver in Wicker Park last night narrowly missed 68-year-old radiologist Thomas Anderson but hit Rosey, his 10-year-old black Labrador retriever mix, all he could think of were the two animals he was walking.

“I just felt misery and fear and terrified for my dogs,’’ Anderson said today. “He might as well have hit one of my four children.’’

The driver, 28-year-old Hector De Anda Martinez of the 1500 block of West Chestnut Street, was charged with felony aggravated DUI and cited for not having a valid driver’s license or insurance, police said.

Martinez appeared in court today, but details on the hearing were not available immediately.

The hit-and-run happened about 9 p.m. Thursday near the intersection of Damen Avenue and Schiller Street -- three blocks south of where police said Martinez already had sideswiped a taxi while speeding passing it at Damen and North avenues.

His car, a 2000 gold Chrysler Cirrus, “accelerated from the crash without attempting to stop and exchange information or render aid,’’ according to a preliminary police report.

The driver blew through a red light at Schiller and Damen, continuing south where Anderson was walking his dogs Rosey and Shadow, police said.

“I tried to jump out of the way. I made it -- and one of the dogs, 5-year-old Shadow -- but he hit Rosey,’’ said Anderson. “She’s a little older than the rest of us, so she got clipped; she was knocked down to the road.’’

Rosey was not run over but the car injured the dog's back leg and broke two bones.

“I had both dogs on a leash. The light turned green with us and we were walking on the crosswalk when all of a sudden this guy is coming and you could just see that either he didn’t see the light or didn’t care,’’ Anderson said. “He just kept barreling south on Damen. He made no effort to stop at all.’’

Martinez eventually lost control of the car, which crashed into a storefront at 1252 N. Damen Ave., causing “severe front-end damage” to the Cirrus, according to the police report.

When police got to the scene, they saw Martinez, still seated in the driver’s seat, with bloodshot eyes, according to the report. The car's door would not open.

Martinez's speech was slurred, he was mumbling and he smelled like he’d been drinking, according to the report, which said his blood-alcohol content was measured at 0.214 percent, more than twice the legal limit of 0.08 percent.

Martinez told police he has never been issued a driver’s license, according to the report.

Rosey weighs nearly 70 pounds, and one of several bystanders who saw the wreck, a man, offered to carry Rosey to their nearby home as Anderson handled Shadow.

“I called my wife and said: 'Meet us at the door we’ve been hit,' '' Anderson said.

They took Rosey to a 24-hour veterinary clinic on Clybourn and tonight the dog is at home, resting and recovering after it suffered two fractures in the pelvis.

“They took good care of her. They were able to examine her and assured us that she suffered no internal bleeding,’’ Anderson said. “We left her there overnight and X-rays and an ultrasound were done. She’s on medication for pain and medicine to try and cut down on the swelling and inflammation.’’

Shadow physically is fine, but not unaffected.

"It scared him quite a bit -- he didn't have his buddy overnight,’’ Anderson said.

The car only stopped when it crashed into a coffee shop about two blocks south of the wreck, with police following a short distance behind.

Anderson said he felt saddened by the driver and the entire situation.

“It couldn’t have happened to a nicer guy,’’ said Anderson when told of his capture and eventual felony charges.

“You can make bad choices and you drive but when you’re running high speed and don’t care who you hit. … He was lucky it wasn’t manslaughter,’’ Anderson said. “In a setting like this, he could have hit any of the 30 people who were around the moment.’’